#IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes was Good, Bad & Ugly

Good Day to you reader & Happy #IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes Day! Today is the day where diabetics all over the world use this hashtag in hopes to enlighten others about Diabetes & spread awareness about how horrible this chronic illness is. When thinking about what I would blog about today in honor of this day, the song "The Good, Bad & the Ugly" by Lecrae popped into my mind. Not the lyrics, just the song title. My personal experience with type one diabetes over the past decade has made me realize that are good, bad & ugly sides to diabetes/having diabetes & my purpose for this entry is to further explain what I mean. Let's begin!

THE GOOD

 Again, this is concerning my personal battle with (type one) diabetes. There is not much good if any truly at all with dealing with diabetes. For this, I am reflecting on the what could have been regarding my diagnosis.
The good for me is that I was not suffering when I was diagnosed. We read stories all the time of people in DKA with their blood glucose levels very, very high & are on the brink of death. I was lucky to catch mine before it got much worse. That is the only good thing that comes to mind.

THE BAD

The bad part of having diabetes is what I/we go through on a daily basis. My daily routine is the same. Wake up, check blood sugar, take long acting insulin & meal insulin & meds, , carb count, eat. Check blood glucose 2 hours later, correct if needed & repeat with just meal time insulin for each meal/snack & another long acting insulin shot before bed. I do this along with 6-8 finger pricks a day. I do this every single day with no breaks or day off. Some days I hate to get out of bed knowing I have to do this routine & that I'm stuck with diabetes. The bad is sometimes wondering if you carb counted correctly or gave enough insulin.I continue to do this treacherous routine so I can manage my diabetes correctly & stay out of the "Ugly" section.

THE UGLY

 The ugly section does not involve my personal battle, but others. One thing that devastates me is to hear/read of a child diagnosed with diabetes of that child's life taken away due to it or it being misdiagnosed. I am an advocate of not second-guessing diabetes & to not let it go unnoticed. I have read a lot recently of kids young as 7 years old had passed away due to a misdiagnosis of diabetes. Such a young life cut short & it saddens me to know it could have been prevented. The ugly part of diabetes is that it kills. More & more people are falling victim to diabetes & it needs to stop!

To end this entry. #IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes sucks (excuse my french). Even though I put a smile on my face daily & act happy (I am sometimes), I am constantly thinking, wondering aout my diabetes & millions of other fighting this too. The daily struggles + the death rate going up is saddening & often times depressing. I #IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes needs to be taken seriously & f the thought ever crossed your mind that ou or a loved one may have diabetes, just a split second thought, go get tested just to be safe. 

Have a great day & remember to use the hashtag #IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes, because there is always something people need to know about diabetes.
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DISCUSSION: What is the most ridiculous comment you have heard about diabetes?

A great question was proposed on the discussion board tonight on tudiabetes.org.
What is the most ridiculous comment you have heard about diabetes?
 I have heard a lot of crazy stuff about diabetes, but the one I hear that blows my mind is that often times when my blood sugar is low, I am asked should I take insulin to counter it.. In the midst of being loopy from the current low, I try to educate without losing my cool. trying to convince someone of something while low is quite hard. 
So,  What is the most ridiculous comment you have heard about diabetes? Leave your comments in the comment section. Check out www.tudiabetes.org for more awesome topics! I'll try to put my response to some daily.

Why I'm Back on shots & off the Pump

Say what?!
Yes, you read the title right. I am OFF my insulin Pump & on shots...again. I have been off the pump since this past June. I thought I made a blog entry about this huge change, but apparently not. I got my Medtronic pump back in 2013 & loved it! But for the two years I wore it, it was a nightmare sadly. Many people have said that "a pump isn't for anyone" & I fut into that category. So, you are probably wondering what caused me to switch back. Let me travel back through memory lane & tell you what caused me to switch back.

It was May 2015, & it was the final day of my exams for college. I changed my infusion set that morning before we went out for breakfast. I ate 2 pancakes with (sugar-free) syrup. I arrived an hour early for my last exam (an hour or so after breakfast). I waited until maybe 20 minutes before the exam & tested my blood sugar & received the highest reading at the time, to date. 499 mg/dl & my jaws dropped. So I corrected & drunk water & went on with my exam. Halfway through my exam I went faint & nauseous. So I rechecked & got the 600+ sign & I about passed out due to shock. So I rushed through the rest of the exam & went straight to the hospital. I did not pass the exam, but I did the class.

On the way I stopped to change my infusion set & guess what, BENT CANULA!  All this stress & suffering I was going through was over a bent canula. So that did the trick. When I go to the ER my blood glucose was down to 392 mg/dl, which was a relief. Over the three days that followed I was still recovering from that horrific incident & during that time I had 3 more bent canulas. It seemed it didn't matter where I put the thing, it bent. So I was like "THAT'S IT, I'M DONE!". I called my endocrinologist that second & requested prescriptions for long acting & short acting insulin & needles & haven't looked back since.  Every since, a huge stress has been off my shoulders. That crucial decision has helped me manage my diabetes so well today. Not having to worry so much is such a good feeling.

#IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes Day Tomorrow

I have been reading about this hashtag on Twitter all day & have decided that Diary of An Insulin Addict will take part in this. Click HERE for info from the founder of this special day for diabetes awareness, Kelly Kunik.
To summarize what this awesome day is about. It is about expressing what you want everyone to know about having Diabetes.  I don't know about you, but that list is pretty long. I will be blogging tomorrow on "The Good, Bad & the Ugly of Diabetes". I do have a few good things about diabetes, but there are more bad & ugly things I want everyone to know about this chronic illness we struggle with daily. I may do a couple of entries based on this concept. Make sure you stay glued
here to read them. Refer to the above link for info from the creator of this day & to see how you can get involved more!
If you want to take part in this, just use the hashtag #IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes

Starbucks, Here I Come!

Here is my response to the "Diabetes Here I Come" story involving Starbucks.
Click HERE to watch the video.
Help me name my podcast too! I'll try to do these often as i can.

Decade With Diabetes: Time For Reflection

As of March 24, 2016, I have been a type one diabetic for 1 decade. This entry is simply me reflecting on my journey thus far. Allow me, if you will, to walk you down memory lane for a few minutes. I want you to walk with me, diabetic or not, as I tell you this story & hopefully raise awareness on this chronic nightmare I have lived for so long, yet seems like yesterday. Let's begin, shall we?

I grew up in a family full of diabetics, so I knew of the disease well & never imagined, as a child, I would have it. I grew up a child out of Virginia who loved to eat (no, eating too much did not cause my diabetes). I dealt with weight issues as a child. My family talks about my glory days (life before diabetes). They always say that they had suspicious about me being diabetic, but never acted. I had most of the symptoms of diabetes (VERY thirsty, urinated a lot. blurred vision, fatigue).

March 23, 2006, my mother & I went t my dad's house for dinner. My dad randomly suggested he check my blood sugar, because he was curious. Growing up, I HATED needles, so I trued to not get it checked, but ended up letting him. It was a One Touch Delta Meter. It did the countdown, 4, 3, 2, 1... 464 mg/dl. I have never seen both of my parents speechless at the same time before until then. I washed my hands & rechecked & was 462 mg/dl. Mom called my grandmother (her mother) & told her the news & she was heartbroken, as we all were. I had my last meal with my parents as a "normal" child, for the next day, my journey with Type One Diabetes would begin.


March 24, 2006, feels like it was only yesterday almost. I often speak to youth at a camp I work at during the Summer about my struggles I have faced during my life thus far, & every time I speak I mention how March 24, 2006 was one if not the worst day of my life.I woke up early that morning & went straight PCP. He checked my blood sugar yet again & said I was a Type One diabetic. Hearing him say that floored myself & my parents. He called & arranged me an appointment with my first endocrinologist, Dr. Patricia Powers, whom I loved having for the 6 years left of adolescence. She was blunt & to-the-point, which is what I needed. She gave me a crash course n type one diabetes & what had to be done to manage it.  She went out & came back with my first "insulin bag" I called it. I was a camouflage case that had everything I needed to get started. It had a one touch delta meter like the one dad used on me, 10 strips, pamphlets & pen needles. She then went & got me my first insulin flexpen, Novalog. She wanted me to start insulin immediately to start bringing down my blood sugar. Me, still shy of needles, asked my om to give me my first shot of insulin, so she did.I immediately burst out of the room in tears. Mom thought she hurt me, so she too cried. It all hit me at once I guess. That first injection made me realize that the life I once knew was no more & all the information I was told & the stress of it all just imploded at once. I remember going home that night & I felt like I was in a trance of sorts & was just not happy at all.


The below photo is me & my granny, three years after my diagnosis (age 15)

Three years i & I had learned so much already. I had changed my daily routine & lost a lot of weight. My family started to interject their opinions from time to time at this time that bothered me, a lot.Here I was three years into my journey & they questioned my decisions (still do some today). I felt betrayed at the time I did, but now I realize they cared & loved me & still do.

Here is me now (Age 21). I have came so far & learned so much about diabetes. I am very proud of who I have become as a person & as diabetic. I take great care of my diabetes (I struggle some, I am human), but my current adult endocrinologist continues to praise me on how well I manage my diabetes & how she wishes all her patients tried like I do.

Like I said, I grew up surrounded by diabetes, so I've seen the bad side of it 7 I vowed myself I would not end of that way with mine. My drive to fight this is simply to never give up & try my best each day. I know I will die with diabetes, but I will not die because of it.